The Mirror Equation
by incognitIoN
Summary: Penny is forced to confront a memory after the meddling of a social robot named Sheldor.
1. Chapter 1

Each step felt like a challenge as she trudged up the steps. Bigger. Steeper. Heavier.

Leonard didn't answer her calls.

She didn't know if he was home. Didn't have her key to the apartment. Her phone felt cold and heavy in her hands (not unlike her person thanks to the sudden storm) and the display screen was black as the night.

She rounded the last floor. _Almost there_. She hoped he was home, she told him this morning that she'd be working late. He hardly worked late nowadays, instead playing video games at the boy's place. She felt they should finally do something about that. He would be pleased at the news.

A collection of murmurs and chuckling drew her out of her thoughts. Three (out of four) familiar heads whipped around at her presence. Awkward hello's and nervous smiles were exhanged before an uncomfortable silence settled between them.

"Whose your friend?" She nodded to a tall, lanky man with his back turned from her.

"We should really be doing this inside, guys." Howard gestured, blocking her curious view of the stranger. Leonard nodded in agreement, his eyes barely flicking over her sodden frame before unlocking the door. Normally, she'd make a comment about it, but her eyes were still trained on the slumped over (yet somehow oddly rigid) figure.

Everyone gathered around or sat on the couch. She decided to stand and drip on the floor. Her eyes slowly took in the dry figures of Howard, Raj, Leonard, and lastly the fourth guest.

Her eyes fluttered, and the familiar picture of her home distorted like a scratched DVD, distorting vision. She heard a loud crack. A crunch. Audio failing. No, just her phone underneath her shoe.

A hand fell on her shoulder and she shook it off, it was Raj, he stared at her sympathetically. Howard's shoulders slumped. Leonard sighed.

"Look…" Leonard stood and made her way over, gesturing to the human…no, the deceptively human looking thing…sitting on the couch. Staring at her with an expression she couldn't discern despite its eerily human features. It looked so real. So much that when she didn't register it until she did, and she shut down in complete panic and fear. Now she knows how small animals might feel, but she couldn't hide or camouflage or fight. Just freeze.

"It's a robot." Raj spoke quietly and calmly, a cautious smile tilting up the corners of his mouth.

Penny inhaled deeply, not realizing how starved for air she was until it ached deep in her chest. The robot tilted its head, it's gaze still trained on hers as it blinked slowly.

Leonard grabbed her elbow gently, she made her body rigid and gritted her teeth. "Its completely harmless." He said in a casual manner, as if he didn't just turn her reality upside down with a singular addendum. "It's a social robot, one of many being made right now, I was one of the lucky handful to he offered to test it out. It's, uh, programmed to do make our lives easier. Happier."

The robot smiled lopsidedly at her, for some reason it scared her even more than if it were to smile perfectly.

"Well, this is rather rude," it clipped. "No one has properly greeted me yet." The robot swiftly drew himself up from the couch, as if he were made of muscle and grace instead of wires and electricity. Its long legs had him in front of her in four easy steps, and as Penny grunted and attempted to squirm out of Leonard's hold it paused. "Hello Penny, I'm Sheldor." It tilted its head in greeting. "Leonard is correct. I will not harm you. And it is not my intention to frighten you." The robot spoke sincerely. Or, at least successfully mimicked sincerity. Penny may not be the smartest in the room, but after knowing the boys for years she knew a little something about robots.

"H-hi," she stuttered, refusing to look it in the eye. However, she looked everywhere else. Sheldor's brown hair was neatly combed, the skin pale and smooth, it wore a thermal long sleeve sleeve and batman tee with khaki pants. Very similar to her friends. She wasn't sure if that was comforting or worrying. When Penny met its eyes she expected them to be shiny and plastic like a doll's, but they were made of something else and they looked as real as hers.

Leonard squeezed her hand. "We'd thought you'd find it _sorta_ cool. We didn't mean to spring it on you like this though. And guess what the best part is?" Penny frowned, he hadn't even told her the worst part. But Leonard pressed on with a huge grin. "It comes with a raise!" When she didn't respond his shoulders sagged and he cleared his throat. "Just a couple of months. You'll like it, I promise. Check it out."

Crossing its arms, Sheldor huffed offendedly. Penny swore she could hear a tiny buzzing sound as it moved. "I am not a movie, she will not be _checking me out_."

Leonard pinched the bridge between his nose. "Sorry, it's not supposed to talk back like that."

Howard snorted. " _Please_ , this things was built and taught by scientists and engineers and neurologists, in _other_ words, a group of nerds. It's gonna have a sense of humor. But no worries m'lday, they're just words strung together to entertain and please…they don't hold any weight to them for the tin man has no heart."

Sheldor arched an eyebrow at Howard. "And you would know what 'holds weight' in any sense of the phrase, _Mr_. Wolowitz," it said, stressing the title. Raj and Leonard laughed as Howard glared.

"What does it all do?" She bit her lips, the tension in her body slowly diffusing as she observed their interactions. Their laughter faded out at her question, and for some reason it felt odd on her tongue. "What do you do, Sheldor?" She whispered, voice tiny and strained as she caught its attention once more.

It smiled at being personally addressed. Somehow they even got the emotion to shine in its eyes as the skin scrunched up around them. She found herself light and fuzzy with anticipation. "I do a wide array of things and learn new things everyday. I am programmed to be the greatest and most loyal companion I can be for you." Penny could only nod wordlessly at that.

Leonard grinned. "What do you think?"

"I think I need a drink." Penny slowly made her way over to the far end of the couch. It followed her. "Why did you make it look so human? And why did you name it Sheldor?"

"Because," Sheldor said, snatching a throw blanket from behind her causing her to jump. "They thought it would make me more user friendly to interact with and establish a relationship." The robot wrapped it around her and she remembered that she was still slightly wet. And freezing. "Also," it placed a warm hand on her forehead and tsked. "My full name is Sheldor the Conqueror." It rounded the couch and made a beeline for the thermostat. "Ironically, the most user _unfriendly_ name if my knowledge on conquerors are correct." It laughed, though it sounded more similar to her desperately gasping for air earlier.

The boys watched on amusedly as Sheldor padded comfortably around the apartment rambling and fretting over Penny. Suddenly, she remembered that Leonard said it would be staying with them. She didn't know how to feel about that. He didn't talk to her about this. And he's looking too confidently at her.

Sheldor placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. She tensed. "You're freezing. She's freezing, Leonard. I'll make you a hot beverage. Don't worry. There, there, everything will be all right."

5h31d0r√

Penny needed coffee. She couldn't sleep. Leonard assured her that it was sleeping. She didn't know robots could sleep. Good for him, she thought bitingly. She wasn't scared anymore. Not really. As the night had progressed she found herself becoming less frightened of it. But it was still incredibly surreal. Everything had changed so suddenly, as major moments in your life do, without your knowledge or control.

She wished she could forget this day. If only for a few hours. But the rain had been on and off all night tapping against the windows like a hesitant thief, keeping her awake. She stared at her clock for the fifth time that night, it was nearly three. She sighed and pushed herself out of the bed. Her feet hurriedly stepped across the floor in time to her heartbeat. Limbs stiff and throat dry, she looked in the direction of the couch where the droid sat upright and perfectly still. It looked peaceful.

Against her better judgement she crept closer. She was never known as a coward before, why ruin her rep now? She held her breath as she leaned forward, her spine tingled and spread throughout the arm and fingers she had poised inbetween their faces. She was inches away. Heat radiated off its body and washed over her cold skin in waves. She sighed at the warmth. It's skin was surprisingly soft and warm, just like hers. Sheldor opened its eyes.

"What are you doing, Penny?" Penny squealed (crap on a cracker!) and stumbled backwards into the coffee table, its arm shot out for her, pulling her back up to collide into him. "Careful," it chided.

Jerking away despite its warning almost sent her over again, this time the the robot expertly wrapped an arm around her waist, easily manoeuvering her into the spot it had previously occupied. Her chest heaved as she scrambled back into the cushions. Sheldor towered over her before but now it loomed, it's shadow threatening to swallow her hole. However, when she realized it wasn't trying to harm her she blushed. This irritated her, a robot would not care if she were embarrassed.

"It is late." Sheldor shook its head, eyes wide. "And you have not slept a satisfactory number of hours."

She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, _so_? Why aren't you asleep?"

"I do not sleep, I close my eyes and recharge, I suppose that's a _kind_ of sleep though." It hummed. "My eyes were closed."

"That's _so_ not the same _thing_ , friggin' whackadoodle." She mumbled.

Sheldor's eyes rolled up as if it were processing the most accurate response. "Whackadoodle is not a word."

"That's a _kind_ of word," she drawled nasally, imitating its voice. "A Penny word." She uncurled herself from the couch and stood causing him to step back. They regarded each other silently before she remembered why she was awake. She headed to the kitchen. It followed.

Suddenly, Sheldor gasped and started yelping (Error! Error!) and Penny slapped a hand over its mouth, thoroughly startled. She tried shushing it, hoping she didn't break the damn thing in some way or pressed something on him. Once it calmed she took away her hand. "You got my shirt dirty." Sheldor touched the cheek that Penny poked and looked at its fingertips frowining, it looked pointedly at her. "I don't like germs."

"Yeah, whatever, just keep it down!" she whispered harshly. Great. They made a germaohobic robot. "I'll fix it," Penny grabbed a clean dish towel from a drawer and wet the end of it. Moving to dab the smudge off Sheldor jerked back. She tried it again. It stepped back, brows furrowed. "Ugh! Stay _still_ , I'm just trying to get the damn smudge off!"

Sheldor rolled its eyes. "Just be careful with that thing, woman, I don't want a permanent stain."

She smiled tightly. Penny definitely would have a talk with Leonard later. "Sure thing, honey." She cooed, patting him on the chest.

" _Honey_?" It snootily inquired with the scrunch of its head. Despite Sheldor's question the action looked as calculated as the hands of a clock ticking forward. "I don't understand your – oh!" Penny had managed to press the towel against the its face, she groaned realizing that she could be making matters worse.

Sheldor frowned and wrapped its fingers around her wrist, holding her in place. "Although it was your fault for putting it there in the first place I thank you for attempting to remove it." Sheldor lowered its head and smiled in it's odd way. "Would you like me to make you a hot beverage? I assume that is the real reason you got up out of bed as compared to poking me."

Penny was taken aback by its manners and affectionate expression. "I can make it, thanks." She sincerely replied. "And, uh, look!" Penny removed the towel. "Now your smudge is gone. How did you notice it anyway?"

Penny followed Sheldor's gaze to the counter where her small make-up mirror sat. Penny picked it up, inspecting her exhausted face before snapping it close.

"It is much appreciated. I think I am going to go sit back on the couch now. That was far too much excitement for the day and frankly, I'm exhausted."

She spun back around to finish setting up the coffee maker, Sheldor's pleased sigh didn't escape her notice. She had to admit it wasn't as creepy as she thought, it was still strange as hell. Like now, it was channel surfing. Penny didn't know if she wanted to yell for the hills or ask if it watches reality television. She idly wondered if it would do this every night, if so their cable bill was going to be through the roof, but Leonard had that covered anyway. The boys did say it was learning, and at an alarming rate.

Penny tried to ignore the robot as she finished making her coffee but she found it difficult. Sheldor was interesting. Even to people who weren't all into science-y and technology stuff. It was a bit of an oddbal. A bit helpless. Annoying. Annoyingly cute, she settled with a weak, grudging smile as it chuckled along with the show's laugh track.

5h31d0r√

Having a talk with Leonard did not make it onto her schedule that morning. It was more stuttering and excuses on his part and feigned disappointment for her, she was too tired to feel anything else. Truthfully, she wasn't that angry about it – shocked and needing to adjust, yes – but there was no time for that when Sheldor was constantly present.

Weeks passed by, turning the weather colder and they sky darker. They still did not talk about it. Sheldor was able to move around the apartment building now – provided it donned a black hoodie to avoid any nosy neighbors – to perform tasks with her such as getting the mail and doing laundry. In fact, Sheldor adhered to a schedule more planned out than her own despite having nowhere to go. It took some time and often a lot of arguing and bickering but they soon worked well around each other.

As for Leonard, once the novelty wore off he soon grew tired of the robot.

"Can't you just go in there and work some engineering magic to persuade it to be less annoying?" Leonard complained to Howard the morning of Thanksgiving.

Howard shrugged. "I dunno…unless you get permission from it creators? But really…it would probably be less of a hassle if you just delete your contract with it, it'll still be programmed to dote on Penny."

Penny looked up from shredding a piece of chicken. "Just leave 'em alone." The words came out harsher than intended.

Leonard scoffed and shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know how you can stand that thing. You're here with it more than I am!"

Penny's gaze flickered over to the robot who seemed deep in conversation over the football game they were watching with Bernadette and Raj. "Yeah, well, just remember that it was you who brought Sheldor home. It doesn't really bother me, I'm just along for the ride." She turned around and snatched a towel from the counter to wipe her hands. "Can you finish the chicken? I want to catch the game, sounds like it's picking up."

"Why can't Sheldor do it?" Leonard pouted.

"Dude!" Raj called, overhearing their conversation. "It's a social robot not a master chef. I don't want to eat bland sweet potato pie!"

"Now, I take offense to that Raj." Sheldor said. "With my hard drive I can learn simply by observing and imitating just once unlike yourself." Sheldor held up a finger. "And I just so happen know how to make a _mean_ sweet potato pie, thanks to Chef MeeMaw's instructions on her cooking site." Sheldor winked exaggeratedly at Penny. "Break out the whip cream."

5h31d0r√

"What the hell are you doing?" Penny yawned.

Sheldor was perched on the edge of the couch, several books from Physics to comics spread out across the table, a marker behind its ear, and a set of bongos on the floor. "Hello," it greeted with a small smile, "What are you doing up?" It paused. "Leonard hasn't made it home yet."

"I know." Penny irritably mumbled, stepping over Sheldor's mess to plop down next to him. She stared at the screen of her phone, it would have been much easier to buy a new one but she preferred hers, so she made Leonard fix the screen instead. She sighed and went through their old messages– that was another reason why she didn't want a new one. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Penny scrolling through her phone and Sheldor flipping through textbooks. She wondered how much of it Sheldor understood, and if it were reading for personal enjoyment or to benefit it's programming.

"Penny?"

"Hm?" She looked up from her phone to find Shelsor staring at her with a troubling look on its face.

"What is the status of your relationship with Leonard?"

The question surprised her to say the least, even more so at the shy way it asked.

Penny grinned slowly. Was it embarrassed? "What do you mean?"

"Don't play coy." Sheldor said, slightly annoyed by her teasing. "Leonard has complained many times that the two of you have not engaged in normal coupling activities, I am aware that every romantic relationship is different but I am still confused. I do not like that feeling."

Penny couldn't believe Sheldor was paying attention to those types of things, it almost made glad that they weren't 'coupling.'

Penny bit her lip and sighed. "To be honest, sweetie…" she began, not sure why she was being honest with a robot in the first place. "It's a bit complicated right now." She shrugged.

"Oh." It blinked slowly. "I am only asking because this affects me too you know."

She arched her eyebrow. "Really?" She said in disbelief. "How?"

Sheldor leaned down and grabbed the bongos, his fingers tapped on the drums idly. " _Well_ ," it drawled, "for instance, when you are upset I have protocols in place to cheer you up. After I've exhausted a list of suggestions to personally assist you, I would bring up your next of kin or significant other or closest friend to cheer you up. Lest you do something unproductive like _cry_ …or drink yourself into a _stupor_ …or commit _suicide_."

"Shel- _dor_!" She squeaked, eyes wide.

"Oh, did I cross a line?"

Penny stared, a mixture of feelings simmering inside and threatening to boil over. Sheldor pathetically slapped the bongos. She laughed.

"I've got to be losing my mind." She groaned.

Sheldor chuckled. "Welcome to the club."

"You can't lose your mind. Can you?"

Sheldor tilted his head and huffed. "Do you think my kind has a mind, Penny?"

Penny leaned forward, ruffling Sheldor's hair affectionately. "I think you have a mind," she said softly, "a big, beautiful crazy mind." She smiled cheekily.

Sheldor huffed, its systems whirring particularly loud, reminding her of what she found herself forgetting the more time she spent with him– that Sheldor was not human. But it was something as it glared and attempted to fix its hair causing her to giggle. "Thank you," it hummed. "Though the touching part was not necessary.

"Of course it was," she protested, threatening to poke him in the cheek.

"I can malfunction. Get a glitch or a virus. I could sleep like humans do and never wake up if they saw it fit, unfortunately."

Sheldor's words unsettled her. She never considered such a thing. What would happen if Leonard didn't want Sheldor anymore? Or if they made an upgrade and it changed who it was? Maybe even throw the robot away for a new one, like a broken phone. Now she wasn't quite sure what to make of its kind, but that was Sheldor, always giving her something to think about.

"I won't let them do that." Penny told him.

Sheldon stared at her unblinkingly for an unnerving amount of time before he finally nodded. "I am glad I am not human." It continued. "Though I'm programmed to behave as one."

"Why is that?"

"There are some decisions that humans feel they need to make to maintain some illusion of sanity and power, but some things are simply beyond control."

"Calm down, Spock." She said dryly.

"Data would probably be a more likely comparison. You actually resemble his companion Jenna quite a bit."

Penny rolled her eyes. Sheldor had gotten into Leonard's DVD collection and it immediately taken a liking to Sci-Fi. That had been a weird, amusing moment. The boys had laughed it off and quickly integrated it into nerd culture, but once Sheldor had suggested Terminator they were a bit more careful in choosing what to watch around him. That hadn't stop Sheldor from diving deeper into the culture with childlike glee.

"Penny?"

"Hm?"

"We could catch the last half hour of The Next Generation on TV if you'd like? To cheer you up?"

It sounded more like it wanted to cheer itself up and out of apparent boredom from this conversation. Penny tossed it the remote and it fumbled clumsily to catch it. "Sounds good."

5h31d0r√

"Why does the bot have a spot?" Howard pointed out one night while they were eating Thai.

"Because I live here and am entitled to such a thing." Sheldor stated, turning to Penny for approval.

It had been a little over a month since Sheldor's arrival into their life. It had gained preferences, most just happened to be for things humans don't normally covet. Like spots on couches. Penny set a handful of water bottles down and plopped down beside him.

"It's _spoiled_." Leonard scowled over a cup of noodles. "Blame Penny."

Everyone turned to her and she glared at Leonard, he could at least thank her for doing what was basically his job! He may have taught Sheldor how to play 3-D chess and surf the web, but at the end of the day it was nothing more to him but a life size avatar to be swiped to the corner when bored. Despite her reluctance, she had ended up becoming more invested than Sheldor than Leonard, and now he was pissed?

Penny's jaw clenched. "Blame me for what?" She laughed humorlessly. The room became uncomfortably silent, food was forgotten, eyes were diverted. "Really, Leonard? Please, do tell me, is there a problem here?"

" _Yeah_ …" Leonard's voice wavered, he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yeah, actually, there _is_. You treat it like it's part of the family. Like a pet instead of a can opener, now it has a mind of its own and does whatever it damn well pleases! Always at your heel, one step behind you, begging for attention. While I barely see or talk –"

" _Technically_ ," Sheldor interrupted, "I do have a mind of my own, and I am a companion not a–"

"Can it, Sheldor!"

"Am I supposed to act like it's invisible?" She sneered. "Like what you do with practically everything!?"

"Wait," Leonard fumbled, "now hold on–"

"No, because you know I'm right Leonard. You can easily play video games here some nights with the guys if you really wanted to."

"I just don't want to wake you when you're tired." He shrugged.

"What, so it's okay to wake _me_?" Bernadette frowned and Howard quickly shook his head, stuttering to save Leonard's poor choice of words.

"No, it's just a lame excuse." Penny rolled her eyes.

"Look," he mumbled embarassed. "Can– can we not do this here in front of…" His voice trailed off as his eyes darted over their friends.

" _Or_ we can go back to blaming me and Sheldor because _you_ screwed up." She smiled sweetly but her tone was hard.

"I was just saying don't let it have influence over every little thing in this apartment."

"I don't see the harm in it." Penny defended, noticing the robot's back straightened at her words.

"I think it's a good thing." Raj piped up catching everyone's attention. "The point is for it to blur the lines between human and robot, right? Obviously it's working. Soon they will have achieved A.I. and then it will only be a matter of time before we figure out how to upload ourselves to computers." He grinned.

"If Sheldor and his posse of synthetics pass the Turing Test that is." Howard added with a mischevious wriggle of his eyebrows.

"What's that?" Penny asked.

"It's when a human and computer interact, and if the human doesn't know it's talking to a computer." Howard explained. "There are many types of tests, and if a computer can match or pass the intelligence of a human than it's achieved artificial intelligence."

Penny frowned. "Um, okay? I don't understand."

"What he means is–" Leonard started speaking slowly but she shot him a glare.

"I know what it _means_ , it's just that…how would you know? Will they just tell you when they become smart? And Sheldor already knows stuff like when we're sad or whatever and how to clean and likes stuff. There are different types of smarts. Why does Sheldor have to be human smart and feel the way we do?"

"It doesn't even matter." Leonard huffed, picking up his container of noodles. "Sheldor isn't meant to achieve A.I. just be a companion. And a lousy one at that," he muttered. "It can only simulate human expressions and feelings and intelligence, not actually _experience_ or _appreciate_ it like you and I do. It's not real." Leonard ignored Penny's skeptical and disappointed look. "Nothing more than…an imitation of free will. Of man."

Penny moved to sit back, done with the conversation. Her hand came into contact with Sheldor's and she pretended not to notice its hand tightening.

Howard shrugged. "You know, they recently tried the mirror test to see if a robot could recognize its own reflection and therefore have awareness. It passed."

Raj nodded. "Yeah, but so did a monkey. So, either we're going to be screwed by the Matrix or a planet of apes. Truthfully, I would much rather the apes, even though I love the 90's I would rather eat real food instead of liquified humans. And this body can't rock leather all day every day, I need breathing room."

"Yeah, and seeing you guys dressed in leather once was enough." Leonard chuckled.

Raj grinned conspiratorially. "How do you know that we ourselves are real and not stimulations in the biggest video game of all time right now?"

"Excellent point, Raj. Cue the X-Files music!" Howard yelled through cupped hands.

5h31d0r√

"Did you know Leonard terminated his contract with me?"

Penny looked up from stirring a pot of spaghetti with cut up hot dogs. Sheldor was standing in the middle of the living room, fingers clasped behind his back, brows furrowed in contemplation. "I didn't." Penny bit her lip, unsure of what to say. "I'm…sorry."

"It frustrated me. I could not provide a logical situation where he might want to continue being my companion. I have failed at the one thing I was designed to do. It's like…like a niggling…" He gestured to the temple of his forehead, "in the back of my head. Put there by my creators when I have failed. And I feel at odds with that." It frowned.

Penny shuffled forward. She felt at odds as well right now, she had always been the go to person in her group when someone had a problem, but she never thought she would have to apply such a thing to a robot. "Did it hurt you?"

"Penny, this is hard." Sheldor turned to her, eyes wide. "How do you people do this?"

Penny placed a hand on its arm, guiding Sheldor to slowly sit on the couch. "It'll be okay, maybe?" She half smiled. "It's not you. It's Leonard. He's an ass." She added flatly.

"I don't want you to do the same. You are my friend."

There was something going on inside that big electrical brain of his, she could see it but had no idea what sort of conclusion it was now coming to, but it was a significant one.

"I _am_." She smiled, patting its hand. "I'm your friend." And Penny meant it. She found some time ago that she could care less what Sheldor was made of or that he was built to be a companion, he was hers as much as she was his. They worked together, laughed and bickered, and comforted one another. It didn't matter if he was a tin man with no heart, he made her heart react no less than anyone else in her life.

5h31d0r√

Three knocks rapt on Penny's bedroom door, as she was waiting for the inevitable "Penny" she smiled. But when it did not come she frowned.

"Sheldon?"

When the door cracked open she was met with Leonard's confused face. "Sheldon?"

"Oh, hey Leonard." Penny sat up against the headboard and drew the blankets up self consciously. "Yeah, um, hope you don't mind," she said, not caring if he actually did. "Slip of the tongue, but he told me he preferred it."

"No." Leonard shook his head, surprise still etched on his face. "Sheldor was kind of a dumb name anyway." He chuckled. "Can I come in?" He asked.

Penny shrugged. "What's up?"

Leonard ambled in and looked around the guest room she had occupied over a month ago. Not much had changed in it. Her clothes were strewn on the floor (she was sure the robot would have a talk about that with her later) and her stuffed animals surrounding her.

Leonard sat near the edge, his thumbs twiddling nervously as he gave her his best puppy dog look. "I don't want to do this anymore."

Penny thought there would be some reaction to his words, instead, what he did next is what took her breath away. It was a ring. But that couldn't be right. Because she had slammed it in her drawer under a bunch of paper and garbage all those nights ago. This one was smaller. Simpler. A promise.

Leonard smiled nervously. "Christmas is around the corner. Thought I'd give you your present early." Penny still didn't respond causing Leonard to heavily sigh. "I'm tired, Penny." He groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "Tired of letting this thing between us fester. I miss you. And…I was thinking you could set up back in my room – _our_ room. Maybe Sheldor – I mean, _Sheldon_ – can stay in here, give us some much needed alone time?"

Penny looked down at the soft sheets she had clenched between her fingers. At Leonard's exaggerated look and outstretched hand. At the ring she wasn't sure he thoughtfully bought or picked out last minute. At the shadow casted in the hallway beyond her cracked door.

"Okay then."

Both pretended not to hear the tremor in her voice.

5h31d0r√

"What are you watching, sweetie?"

Sheldon muted the television. "Where are you going?" He asked, frowning.

Penny slipped on her heel. "Out with Leonard for a bit."

"Oh." It simply said. Penny thought she heard a hint of worry in his tone.

"Dr. Fowler and Howard are coming over to run a check up on you anyway."

"Oh." Sheldor repeated monotously, turning back to the television.

Penny bit her lip. She felt hesitant to leave, a bit guilty even. It wasn't any different when she went to work, or shopping, or hanging out with friends. So why did it feel that way?

A model of the human brain flashed across the screen, lighting up certain parts. The image slowly zoomed in, a coliseum coming into view. "It's a documentary on human memory, quite fascinating but…" It paused as Leonard stepped into the room. "…small in the grand scheme of the universe. Wouldn't you agree Leonard?" The screen illuminated as it turned back to view it, a small smirk passed it's lips, or maybe that was the trick of her mind. "It is possibly the most complex aspect of your kind." Its smile was smug. "And the weakest. Limited by the barriers of your fickle memories."

"Now, hold on." Leonard defended, intrigued. "Our memories aren't _that_ fickle. In fact, they're pretty awesome. Some of us even have eidetic memories."

"Some. Not all." Sheldon pointed out. "You have many methods to remember, even so, it is still nowhere near perfect. People like Dr. Fowler are chasing whimsicalfancies, but she won't listen to me. It is not a necessity, not when one has devices around to remember for you and document your failings for the next homo novus in line."

"That reminds me, Sheldon," Howard said, barging in. "Care storing me and Bernie's anniversaries? Also, Raj…missed our friendship anniversary once and for a week it was _nagnagnag_ …Leonard you want in on this?" He chuckled.

"Oh, don't you even dare you two." Penny warned, sending a clear message to Sheldon to inform her if they do, it only smiled flittingly.

Leonard laughed and gestured to the robot. "Ah, see? Man has lived to be superior another day! We don't need memory to survive anymore."

"You do if you don't want an angry significant other." Penny mumbled under her breath.

"No," Sheldon directed at Leonard, its eyes meeting Penny's. "Apparently you don't, I guess all you need to remember is how to eat, sleep, and make a mess." It frowned as Howard struggled to open a bag of chips, everyone watched the inevitable as it finally bursted all over the kitchen floor. "But it wouldn't hurt. However, this is coming from someone who is far better in every way."

"Hey, just don't forget that us _humans_ remembered all of our mistakes and progress so we could eventually make your kind." Leonard shrugged on his blazer. "An unfortunately sarcastic robot whose met its match in a rather mouthy neurologist." He stated flatly. "You're welcome for that by the way."

"But like your influence over the things you create, your memory only extends so far."

"Then, I guess yours isn't going to go very far either seeing as how you're modeled after us." Leonard's voice rose, pride creeping in.

"Physically more than anything. Everything else…not too close. You can't replicate the human brain, fortunately for me."

"Well," Penny airily piped in. "I don't think it's about memories per say, but rather what they make you feel. Makes you who you are, each of us." She explained with a small smile at Sheldon.

"Sheldor can't feel so, no– not all of us. I guess this talk of memory and the future of our species is kind of irrelevant."

"And yet you are attempting to duplicate it inside something very different from yourselves. Memories and the feelings that come along with it in social robots especially." Sheldon frowned. "You have given rise to a new system of memory and thought, parallel to your own. Yet your own effort to remain what you are is what limits you."

Howard cleared his throat. "My, I see we, uh, touched a nerve there." He laughed nervously.

"I hope you don't mind Leonard, I borrowed it from your collection, I quite like the character of the Puppet Master."

Leonard shrugged nonchalantly, unperturbed by the robot's words. They meant nothing. Simply mimicked. Stolen. It's how they learned. How they were engineered. Robots like Sheldon have no sense of direction or understanding of consequences, therefore no weight to its words. He didn't have the time to argue with it either. He wanted his first date night with Penny after so long to go down smoothly, even if the drinks he had to order to do so didn't.

"You watch too much TV." Leonard rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should get out more," he sarcastically commented, "oh…wait. Nevermind."


	2. Chapter 2

5h31d0r√

"Are you buying it now, Penny? Please, oh please, tell me you are buying it now!"

It jarred her, Sheldon's excitement, like a kid being told they're going to Disneyland. "Yeah, yeah, I'm buying it!" She laughed, hovering the mousepad over the big blue 'buy' button. "Just keep cool all right?"

It placed a hand on her shoulder and she was instantly brought back to their first meeting. "Cool as in keep my system at an acceptable temperature as to not overheat?" Sheldor asked excitedly. "Or keep cool as the American slang word to pretend to be not as excited as I really am?" It leaned forward.

"The second one. Now, before I buy this you promise to be on your best behavior?"

"It is with my understanding that the famous phrase is 'promises are made to be broken', you get the point."

"Sheldon," she warned.

"Bazinga." It chuckled, the sound vibrated through her body. She realized then how close they were. If Sheldor could breathe it would tickle her ear.

Penny's first date night with Leonard had been disastrous from start to finish. It started out with poor conversation and hurriedly gulped down wine, and ended with sarcastic remarks and petty behavior. When they got back to the apartment Sheldon was folded up in a corner glaring at Dr. Fowler who wielded a screwdriver in her hand, Howard had been watching the confrontation from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. The date nights didn't get any better and neither did the check ups, everyone was in edge and seemed to be waiting for something to drop.

"Whatever, just don't forget, _bub_."

"Hold on." It placed a hand over hers. "I want to do it."

If it realized Penny became tense then it did not respond a programmed. Instead, Sheldor clicked the buy button, and she could feel the metal beneath it skin as he pressed his finger against down. Her promise ring dug uncomfortably info her skin. It did not make her feel uneasy, the way her nerves tingled brightening her senses.

"And for the record…" Sheldon muttered, turning towards her, lack of personal space be damned. "I cannot forget. Only delete. Shame that you cannot do the same."

"Oh, trust me, sweetie. I deleted plenty back in my day and all I needed was a bottle of rum and a lighter."

Sheldon powered the computer down. It didn't move away when it finished the action, it's fingers till intertwined with hers around the mousepad. "You confuse me. Maybe if you could delete your relationship problems it would require less trial and error runs of cheering you up on my part. But…" Sheldon's gaze slowly met hers in the screen. "Since you cannot do that, I recommend that you pursue other options, instead of pretending to forget as you have been doing."

"Which relationship?"

"Yours and Leonard's of course."

Penny shuffled uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Why not?"

"Because, I just don't, okay?" Penny attempted to roll the chair back, but it didn't budge. "Can you please move?"

Sheldon did not respond. She attempted to turn around. Its hands stopped the chair. "You did not answer my question."

"Oh my gosh, Sheldon!" she pleaded. "Can you _move_?"

It did so, turning the chair around so she could face him. "I am programmed to learn." It frowned. "To make you feel better and benefit you in the long run. Mentally and physically." Sheldon leaned forward, trapping her between his body. "That means I will have to ask questions you may be uncomfortable with."

Was it supposed to do that? She knows it's supposed to learn but it also must follow orders. Leonard did not tell her this. She was not entirely sure if she liked it. Penny knew that if she talked about it now after all this time she wouldn't be able to control herself.

Sheldon must have seen the confusion on her face because it spoke again, this time much softer. "It is our duty to care for our companions and therefore be ready for any challenge. Some will have to distribute medicine to the sick and elderly, others will have to restrain the mentally ill. No need to be alarmed, we are trained by the top medical and psychiatric professionals. Now, you signed a contract which you did not fully read, regardless, in order to better maximize your well being you must meet me equally. Can you do that for me, Penny?"

"What happens if I don't?" Sheldon's eye twitched and it lowered its head in warning. Penny reluctantly nodded.

"Excellent." Sheldon nodded and stood. Penny breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll make you a hot beverage."

She sat there until the smell of hot chocolate melted her limbs and forced her to move to the couch. Sheldon hummed pleasantly in the kitchen all the while.

The hot chocolate tasted good. Better than hers.

"Talk to me." It demanded in a gentle tone.

"Is it so important to know?" She asked, trying to keep her voice light.

Sheldon didn't answer, opting to give her a pointedly skeptical look. Her heart stuttered. She the cup down. The sun settled behind them, peeking through the the patio door, casting shadows across its face she always considerd handsome.

Sheldon tapped its fingers on its thigh. "The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts." Penny looked at it questioningly. "Just something from a film I like. I am trying to cheer you up."

In the silence Penny could hear buzzing coming from the robot. It sounded like a machine at a hospital, or the one a psychiatrist puts in front of their door so they could have private conversations. It was soothing. Sheldon leaned forward, pushing the mug towards her. "I am not doing this because I have to, I am doing this because I want to. Are you happy now?"

She didn't touch the cup. She wanted to correct it, tell it that he had to do it because it was programmed. But she held her tongue, feeling Sheldon would prove her wrong somehow.

"Are you happy now?" It repeated.

"I am."

Sheldon tilted its head. "The inflection in your voice, your body language, and the logs I have of our previous conversations tells me otherwise," it informed her. "You do not want your coffee?" She shook her head. "Shall I run other programs to cheer you up?"

"No."

"Are you certain?"

"Sheldon, _please_."

Sheldon scooted closer. It must have mistook her words, or maybe she did. It patted her hand a few times before letting it rest on top of hers. Heavy. Warm. Deceptive. "It will be all right."

But it will not be all right. Not for her. Not for them. As Sheldon said, promises are made to be broken. She pulled her hand away.

"I don't know."

"So, you are simulating being upset?"

"What? _No_!" The question alarmed her.

"It was a joke." Sheldon said slowly. "To lighten the mood. But, while we're on the subject…did you know that humans simulate feelings to get what they want? I saw it in a documentary. For example, when a child cries or acts out for attention, or a spouse pretends to be tired so they won't have to engage in coitus." It turned her hand in his, tracing the lines of her palm with its eyes and fingers. "It is programmed in you when you are born, so you can survive and reach you own goals. And it is still present even when you're adults. Such as yourself. And Leonard." It paused. "Especially Leonard. Your interactions with each other go a lot like that. However, it doesn't bear repeating when you pretend. Or do you even know when you're doing it?"

Penny knew Sheldon listened in on her and Leonard, she never paid much mind to it, those things happened when you lived together. She never imagined it evaluating every word and facial expression.

"You could _pretend_ to feel. It may elicit…" It paused again as a shiver went through her body. "… _genuine_ response. Or, I could play back the conversations between you two for you if you'd like? Discuss the weak areas in your relationship?" Penny blinked back her tears.

"No," she shook her head, adamant. "No, I don't want that. What are you–" Her eyes searched Sheldon's, they gave nothing away. And this wasn't real. The concern wasn't real. It couldn't be real. "That doesn't mean anything. It doesn't." Its face remained impassive. She couldn't get through. Convincing it – herself – any further was pointless. "It doesn't, Sheldon, it doesn't…"

"I _do_ care, Penny."

The tears were falling freely now, she tried to pull away. It placed its other hand on her knee.

"Do you know," Sheldon began, its hand still carressing hers, "your tone and expressions towards me have a higher percentage of positive responses than the conversations you have with Leonard? I happen to feel the same way about you."

She wanted to yell. Slap it. Threaten it. Why did it look at her as if he knew her? But Sheldon did, didn't it? Aside from the people at work, Penny was around it more than anyone else. More than her friends. More than Leonard. "If you weren't made to would you still care?" She asked, her eyes focused on their joined hands as she held her breath.

"Well," Sheldon spoke slowly, "you weren't made to care for _me_. Yet here we are." It squeezed her fingers.

She should deny it. Remove it. Forget this whole situation. It was just telling her what she wanted to hear. Was it? Could it lie? She didn't think so. It never gave any indication of doing so before. But Penny didn't care – or she at least tried not to as Sheldon stared patiently down at her. She still tried as she fell forward into its arms and squeezed her eyes shut, breathing in the fabric softener he made her get because it told her it made her colors brighter. Sheldon did not blame her or instruct her to calm down or divert his eyes as the seconds ticked by. Or when her fingers dug into its arms and she let out a choked sob, drawing herself further onto the couch to press closer into its warmth. An arm wrapped around her back pulling her closer, its hands ran through her hair soothingly.

"Penny…" Sheldon hummed against her, the sound of its voice and inner mechanations calming her down. "If you tell me what's wrong I can try and fix it for you. You have my word, and you'll find that I don't go back on it easily." Penny squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her arms around him.

"He cheated on me." It didn't say anything, just continued to hold her as she cried the last of her tears away. When she finally drew herself, feeling lighter and clear headed than she has in a long time she thanked him.

"But I haven't done anything yet." It frowned.

Penny kissed his cheek for she couldn't think of a better way to say that he did."

5h31d0r√

It had been easier than she thought. Ending it with Leonard.

The words had slipped through her lips, like a gust of wind carrying a dead leaf away that had hung on to its branch for far too long. And this had lasted far longer than she figured both of them suspected. She couldn't get the time wasted back but emoty handed was the last thing she felt. Both had been holding on to happy memories and old insecurities. They were no longer those people anymore. They were just pretending to be.

"I don't want to do this anymore." She flipped open her make-up mirror, wiping the last of her eyeliner away in one efficient sweep. Penny could feel the tension in the room but her shoulders remained relax and her head clear. "This isn't going to work between us." She needed to look for a new place but it shouldn't be hard on her salary, she was far away from the crumpled up bills she once made as a waitress.

"You don't mean that." Leonard scoffed in disbelief.

"I do. And you know what, Leonard? Deep down I think you know that too." She switched to her other eye, there were no tears or regret reflecting back at her. She felt free. "It didn't work before. And I thought if I gave in and said yes then things will be okay. Like old times. But it can't be that way. It _won't_."

"Penny," Leonard laughed nervously and sat next to her on the bed. "You don't know what you're saying. We–we've both had a long day and just need to sleep and think this through." He told her slowly, as if speaking to a child.

"Oh, as opposed to talking it through? Because that sure as hell never worked."

"Penny…"

Penny looked up from her mirror, at the same puppy dog eyes she gave him when she excepted his promise ring. "Gosh, you're _so_ smart Leonard," she shook her head, "but you can't see it."

"See what?" He huffed, throwing his hands in the air.

"This." She gestured between them. " _Us_! It's just–it's the same thing over and over again, it's like we're on a loop, and the movie where we live happily ever after never reaches its end. It's all messed up Leonard and it isn't going to go away!" She tossed her mirror down and it landed in Leonard's lap, he snatched it, his fingers tightening around it in frustration. "We're _stuck_! And as long as we continue this we're always going to be stuck. This isn't the way I want to live my life."

"But I _tried_! You didn't –you haven't given it time! You just moved back into our bedroom and–"

"No, Leonard. I didn't move on. You hurt me too much. You _cheated_ on me," she spat. "So I'm not the one to blame for us not moving on am I. Neither of us have moved on. Not since we first got into this relationship, even though we've changed so much in every other part of our lives and relationships." Sheldon flitted through her mind but she pushed the thought down. Penny stood from the bed, waving away Leonard's hand that tried to reach for her. "You don't love me. At least not enough to keep this relationship going." She whispered. "Just admit it. _I_ can." Leonard didn't say anything and it was all the answer she needed.

"So, you're just giving up and ending it, after all we've been through and shared."

"You've always had one foot out the door in this relationship, if someone better came along I have no doubt that you'd be signing divorce papers without a moment of hesitation. And I hardly share the same interests with you, which wouldn't be a problem if you didn't hang your intellect over my head from time to time. There's not much to end there. Just a few good memories through all the crap we had to put up with one another."

Leonard toyed with the mirror in his hand, an expression she couldn't decipers passed across his face before he snapped the mirror close. He nodded. "Okay then."

5h31d0r√

Penny stared at her blurry reflection in the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth. It bothered her. She didn't know why. Attempting to rub the smudges away only distorted the image more. She couldn't remember the last time she wiped this mirror. Sheldon did most of the house work anyway while her and Leonard were at work.

She hadn't seen Leonard at all the past week, his toothbrush and some of his clothes were gone. Most of her belongings were packed and stacked neatly in the corner by the door, sorted and tagged appropriately by Sheldon. It hadn't uttered a word about it to her surprise. She didn't know whether to be thankful or sad.

Now she stood outside the guest room that used to be hers, hand poised in the air to knock. Normally, she'd just barge right in. But something between them had shifted once Leonard left the morning after them breaking up. They were never apart but they hardly spoke in the same cheerful manner they were once accustomed to. Her hand would linger on its back or arm, Sheldon would stare at her longer than normal, and a simple bid of goodnight turned into long, awkward silences in the hallway. Though not sure what it meant exactly, Penny swore that if the robot could blush it would have done so as she had during several of those instances.

Now she lingered outside Sheldon's door, its words from last night stuck replaying in her mind.

What would become of Sheldon once she was gone? She had promised that she wouldn't let anyone shut it down, but how could she do that if she no longer lived here? It must have been afraid all this time as well, she realized. She decided then that she wasn't going to allow that, to let anything else in her life sit and rust until she couldn't move along with it.

"Is something the matter, Penny?"

She looked up into its concerned blue eyes.  
"Can I come in?"

"Certainly."

"You can't stay here." She said, shouldering past it.

"What do you mean?" It frowned.

"I'm leaving, Sheldon, and I can't allow you to stay here or go back to where you came from."

"I take it that you truly have terminated your relationship with Leonard then?"

"I have." She nodded. "But–"

"Explicitly?"

"I did. Which is why you may not be here any longer. And I made you a promise."

"I know, Penny. But you have no control over that. I do not belong to you."

"I don't give a rat's ass! No one has control over you! Including Leonard." Sheldon's eyes widened at her ouburst but it remained silent. Biting her lip she let out a frustrated groan, her limbs felt numb and her heart heavy. "You shouldn't belong to _anyone_ , Sheldon."

"I wanted to belong to you."

Penny froze. Her heart beat loudly in her chest and her cheeks warmed, a feeling of elation spread through her at his words and the sincere honesty in his voice. "I...I don't know what to say to that." At Sheldon's fallen face she quickly added. "But it doesn't make me unhappy. Not at all."

Sheldon looked down at its shoes and clasped its fingers behind its back. "There was a moment where I wished I didn't belong to anyone. I was curious to see what would become of me if I were to have no primary directive to fall back on. I still am." Suddenly, Sheldon was in front of her in three small steps. "But…I like being yours. And I enjoy the time we spend together. Immensely. So much so that I wanted you to belong to me too."

" _Oh_." She breathed shakily, taken aback, surprise that the thought hadn't been hers alone for quite some time now. Her eyes slowly met his. "I think…that is a very different type of longing than the one intended for your programming."

Sheldon's eyes darted to her lips. "I would agree."

Penny closed her eyes, her forehead pressing against its chest. Although the sound in Sheldon's chest was buzzing and whirring instead of beating its nervousness displayed in other ways, fingers danced lightly up her sides and it shuffled hesitantly in front her. She swallowed nervously and waited, completely thrown into a whole new territory. Sheldon wasn't a man and she wasn't foolish to think anything less of him.

Sheldon smoothed its hand down her hair, slowly wrapping the loose strands between its fingers. Wrapping her arms around its waist she hummed approvingly, practically hearing every thought going around Sheldon's head on how to proceed next. So Penny kissed its chest, standing on her toes she went for its cheek and nose until they were face to face. And they were close. So very close. Until finally, Sheldon's lips were brushing against hers and it had pressed flushed against her.

5h31d0r√

"This... _you_...it can't be real," she murmured once they broke apart.

"But I _am_ real," Sheldon protested softly, kissing her once more for emphasis.

So she kissed it back. And it was warm and soft and wet as stolen tears ran down his cheeks and they pressed closer into each other.

And it felt real as her eyes fluttered closed and its hands – large and boyishly eager – stripped away their clothing and laid her down. When it settled on top of her and she whimpered and moaned into the crook of its neck, her legs wrapping around it as it carefully entered her. The sensation of every caress and thrust tightened and coiled deep inside her, until it sprung loose, sending heady waves of warmth through her body that joined between them once in sharp, intense shudders.

Sheldon's name was broken and quiet on her lips. Begging for reprieve. Begging for more. It soothed the need down with kisses and whispers, only to amplify it back up again and again. Each time resulting in an more stronger and faster and exquisitely pleasurable reaction than the last. Their gaze never straying from each other in those final moments.

"I didn't know you could do that." Her murmured, resting her head on its chest.

"I could not run that particular file as long as you and Leonard were in a romantic relationship. It is against the protocols I–" Sheldon paused as her hands wandered lower, "am very sensitive there." It weakly finished.

Penny smiled. "So, you were thinking about me this whole time huh?"

"I confess to thinking of you more than often, and in many other intimate scenarios. I spent an entire evening once thinking of the the way you would react to the different but safe amount of pressure I could apply when kissing or touching you. Not even half those times involved your lips, I figured you would appreciate a little variety, I am pleased to find that I was correct."

Penny smiled as she kissed him. "Tell me more." Sheldon didn't get very far despite his persistence to do so even after Penny climbed on top of him.

"We can't do this anymore." She sighed as she laid pressed against him.

"What do you mean?" Sheldon said quickly, moving to sit up.

Penny stopped him with a hand to its chest. "No." She stressed. "I mean, we can't…Leonard…" Penny sighed. "He'll have you shut down," she said in a pained whisper.

"I am not Leonard's."

"I know, I know…" Penny must have been losing her mind, they both were as they stared at one another, minds working toward the same conclusions at different speeds. "You can't stay here."

"What do you propose I do?" Sheldon held her tighter. "I only see two outcomes once you are forced to leave and terminate your contract with me. They reboot me and I start over again, or they shut me down. Or, more preferably, you could shut me down now."

"You're not going to be shut down, Sheldon." She said, voice hard and leaving no room for argument. "You didn't let me."

" _Then_ …" Sheldon prompted.

"You could start over."

"I don't like the sound of that even more."

"You'll start over with _me_." She whispered.

"Well, that changes things considerably." It hummed. "But they'll look for you."

"They won't. Because we'll end it and have witnesses, and you won't be leaving when I do."

"Penny, what you're suggesting–

"Will work." She interrupted. "It has to." Sheldon opened its mouth to speak but she kissed it. "And we can only do it this way. You said it yourself. I won't hold you back."

"Once you end your agreement to be my companion…" Sheldon didn't finish and she was thankful for it.

If Sheldon truly was something more would she still matter in the grand scheme of things? Would its feelings for her have been nothing more than an expensive chip made in a lab for amusement?

"Can I kiss you again?" She asked. Sheldon gladly pulled her down.

5h31d0r√

Penny drove to the beach. It had been a long, exhausting day and after her friends helped her load her jeep she waved away any extra offerings of help. The orange and yellow of the sky brought a warmth to her skin she felt on the inside as well, and the longer she drove the wider and longer the road became. Her bags were all stuffed into the back of the jeep, Sheldon's few belongings along with it, the cell Leonard bought her left back in the empty apartment in the palm of his hand.

She kicked her feet up on the dashboard, watching the tip of the sun meet the sea, her radio low and roof down to drink in the last of its warmth before it went to sleep. Her eyes strayed anxiously to her clock more times than she'd like to admit.

Penny pulled out a tiny pink box she'd bought from a bakery along her journey and opened it, revealing a chocolate cupcake inside, a candle with the number one placed in it. She thought it was appropriate for the start of her new life – of Sheldon's– for the both of them, hopefully.

It had been extremely difficult maintaining a calm face as she terminated her relationship with Sheldon in front of everyone. They all knew how she felt about the robot. How it had been there for her during this whole messy situation even if it had been against its will. Not that anyone in the room believed the robot had one except her, it still got a few pats on the back and sad smiles.

She lit the cupcake and closed her eyes. Sheldon should have left a while ago to meet her here, she had pulled off coming as long as possible not wanting to wait in misery. Did it get lost? Did Leonard somehow find out about them? Did it forget her? Or maybe it simply realized that falling in love was a flaw and deleted the memories itself, because there was nothing behind them to feel in the first place. Penny couldn't believe it. She refused to. Sheldon was more than that. It had to be. Not just for yourself but for its own future as well. She blinked back tears.

A small creak on the side of her passenger door made her look up. Penny didn't speak. Didn't move. Didn't breathe. Sheldon stared at her, a small, thoughtful frown growing on its face as it opened the door wider.

"Am I late for something?"

"No." Penny replied, her eyes never leaving Sheldon. "Hop in. You're just in time."

"What are we doing?"

Penny carefully set the box on her dashboard before leaneing over the passenger's seat, slightly reclining Sheldon's and giggling at the tiny noise of surprise it made when she did so. She climbed over the seat, settling into its lap with the cupcake between them. " _We_ ," she smiled, "are celebrating."

"I can't. I don't eat, Penny."

"That's okay." She kissed its jaw. "I'll eat it and you can celebrate." She swiped her finger around a glob of chocolate icing. "What happened?" She asked. "After I left. You can do and think whatever you want now, right? Nothing to hold you back." When Sheldon didn't answer she pulled back to find him staring at the sky. "Did you find out anything about yourself?" Sheldon wrapped an arm around her, its other hand reaching for the tiny pink box. "Hey," she pouted, "I was enjoying that."

" _We_ are." It corrected. "The candle – year one – it is indeed appropriate." Sheldon kissed her and she smiled.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing."


End file.
